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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · rule · wound · tear · capital · foot · board · spring

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spring — of water
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tear — to rip
  6. spring — the season
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. foot — a measure
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. board — a committee
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rule — a law
  24. foot — the bottom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com